(Also, if you're interested, please subscribe to the AYM High Consultants free newsletter through the widget toward the bottom of our homepage at aymhigh.com. Even if you're not in the mailbox, print, packing, retail shipping, and business center industry, I truly feel you'll find a lot of value through what we share monthly.)
...
As coaches, we have coaches too. Yes, there are coach coaches to coach coachable coaches (say that five times fast!)
In addition to our coach coaches with whom we work directly,
we also follow a number of coach coaches online. One we particularly enjoy is
Evan Carmichael, and you’ve heard us mention some of his teachings in previous
articles put out by AYM High Consultants on our blog, in our socials, and in the
industry publications we have the honor of sharing in.
In a recent
video, Evan talks about how clients don’t buy coaching programs, but rather
they buy people. It’s our job as coaches to be the people with whom our clients
want to work.
We loved this lesson for ourselves, but in thinking about it
we know it’s a lesson that our clients—AYM High Soarers—may need as well. After
all, Soarers are very much like coaches in their own communities. They’re the
printing, mailbox, packing, and shipping experts and specialists that neighbors
rely on to solve problems.
Think about yourself as a coach instead of just a shopkeeper
or small business owner. And now think about your best clients. Are they just
simply there because you have answers and ability or are they those who have
personally invested in you through a relationship with you and/or your team?
Are they buying your products and services or are they buying you? Likely—hopefully—the
answer is “a little bit of both.” Or, even better yet, “a lot of both!”
In sports, coaches often go above and beyond just helping
their athletes excel on the field. Yes, there are some coaches who thrive on
aggression, condescension, and bullying, but we’d argue that the majority of
respectful and respectable coaches are those who push their athletes hard, when
needed, but also show a very gentle, caring side when the situation calls for
it. They don’t just want their athletes to break records and win, but they want
them to be happy, healthy, balanced individuals with big hearts and strong
minds.
Now, back to the business coaching realm, with many
parallels to the athletic coaching world. Good business coaches have a rapport
with their clients. They build bonds. They care about them, and the feeling is
often mutual. They’re not just thinking about their clients’ needs and issues
when they’re on the clock with them, but they also wake up at night with ideas
for them and keep long lists of notes on their phones, full of thoughts for
their next sessions. They’re not only available when a business need arises,
but often cross over into the good friend zone and connect on a deeper level
than just business.
Don’t you feel that with your best clients? Aren’t some of
them in the good friend zone? Don’t you send them birthday cards and follow
their socials, celebrating with them…and sometimes comforting them during hard
times? Believe it or not, you are a coach too! You care. You help. You guide.
You serve. Indeed, you are a coach.
So, invest in those coaching relationships on more than just
a business level. Be a coach to your clients, providing value not only in the
things they pay you for, but also in being a support to them on and off the
proverbial field.
